Just an ordinary guy, aiming for extraordinary

A snap shot: Here stands a 52-year-old father of two, husband to a gorgeous (and younger) wife; six-feet, 208; weighed down by suburbia’s demands -– work, traffic, money — but made buoyant by the simple joys of everyday life –- the wife’s considerable accomplishments, the kids’ daily nuttiness, the occasional professional accolade (a paycheck).

The picture would not be complete without pointing out that I am wearing what my wife calls “fat guy clothes,” shapeless apparel that remains untucked and untightened because of unsightly undulations.
There are no excuses except for that reliable fallback: Clean living.

But 10 years ago my right arm developed a case of chronic tennis elbow, to the point of hanging painfully, loosely from fatigue after just a short session of typing; at the same time my right leg began tiring before the left one and dragged when I ran any distance at all.

Orthopedics diagnosed my leg syndrome as being a pinched nerve in the lumbar region and the arm pain as a compressed nerve in the neck. I had two lumbar surgeries -– one in 2001, the other in 2002 -– to no avail. I had three cervical vertebrae fused together in 2004 to stop the arm pain — to no avail.

Three very serious spinal surgeries, and their painfully complicated recoveries, in four years, and not one symptom was relieved.

In fact, the pain in the arm increased, to the point where I envisioned a future with a useless arm. Meanwhile the right calf atrophied to the point where I could no longer run without pulling a muscle -– a two-week injury -– every time I tried to run a mile. I had to give up my passion -– refereeing rugby football matches -– which effectively brought an end to a lifetime of athletics.

It took a year of relative inactivity, but I gained and kept 10 pounds, going from a comfortable 195 to an undisguisable 205, most of it in the belly and face. Modified diets were ineffective and I possessed no will to exercise. It was always frustrating.

My wife has been telling me for years that we need to find a doctor who can look at the whole picture, not just a close-up of an damaged limb; someone who can step back and see that the arm pain is related to the leg weakness is related to the weight gain is related to the nighttime headaches is related to the moodiness, etc., etc.

Short of the Mayo Clinic, what modern doctor is set up to work that way? My family physician sent me to specialists; specialist sent me to surgeons; surgeons were woefully incorrect in their diagnoses and treatments. I moved up the American Medical Association food chain from orthopedics to neurology, but even a year with a renowned neurologist, who was convinced he could solve my nerve pain with a panoply of industrial strength medications (steroids were my favorite), ended with a handshake and a “thanks for trying.”

And now the “Five Stones” roll into my path. I scrambled like a desperate man to grasp the opportunity to work with Dr. Martha Calihan and her team at the Integrative Family Medicine Center in Leesburg. For six months I’ll get monthly physicals, biweekly massages and nutrition education sessions, and three-times-a-week visits with a personal trainer.

The food I eat, the way I walk, how I work, my stress level, even my hygiene will all come into question as we work together to fix . . . me.

I’ll be posting progress updates here, and in the coming weeks you’ll meet the dedicated and motivated crew I’m playfully calling “The Buzz Brigade” as they change just about every facet of my life.

I’ll also be posting useful advice gleaned from the program, tips that perhaps others can use -– including information about food (and recipes), workouts and stretches, and things about the human body and psyche I encounter on my journey.

And feel free to write back. If you have questions -– or answers to my questions, and heaven knows I have a few -– please post them here so we all can participate.

I’ve had a decade of medical failures and frustrations, and I fear my patience is wearing thin. I’m going to follow the program’s instructions as best I can given my stressed-out, on-the-go suburban dad lifestyle, and I’m going to see if a regular guy like me can change his life in such a wholesale manner.

Wish me luck.